Hello Readers,
Thank you for the reviews; its those comments that keep writers posting.
We meet Ryssa's spouse.
Sued13
CHAPTER Twenty two
Revane Pharmaceuticals Head Office
Coruscant Business District
Meeting with Yan
Yan Barock, President of The Revane Pharmaceutical Corporation, was a very powerful woman; she was one of the youngest Trade Presidents, in the Trade Federation and now she was having to deal personally with this.
This irritant from her past.
But it was all part of her plan and it had been a long time in the making; there had been a hiccup with the Mother but Yan had still kept the string on her. She thought she may still be useful; she will be.
Now it was coming to fruition.
The initial irritation she felt, subsided to be replaced with the satisfaction of a plan coming to fruition.
She looked into the large opulently gilded mirror in the ante room that led off of her office and admired what she saw.
Yan planted the smile on her face that she used on numerous occasions to hide her true feelings and walked back into her office.
Standing behind her large desk, fashioned from a single piece of wroshyr wood imported at great expense from Kashyyk, she put her hands flat on it, advised her assistant to send her visitor in, and waited.
Ryssa walked into the large, extravagant office, Yan she could see was even more beautiful than she remembered but it was now in a hard, glacial way. Her skin was pale almost translucent, her hair now down to her shoulders a sleek, glossy red and her eyes a vivid green. She had obviously had some work done over the last few years and as a result she looked immaculate, the same but different; almost exotic in her features.
Ryssa's stomach did a flip, when she saw her and she was reminded why she had been attracted to her in the first place.
She gritted her teeth.
"My dear", that cultured voice that used to send shivers down her spine.
"So good to see you. Are you well?"
"Fine thank you."
"What have you been doing since I saw you last."
Ryssa recognised the beginning of the games Yan used to play; it all came back to her.
"Working. I have bills to pay, remember."
"Where are you living?"
Ryssa knew that Yan knew exactly where she was living; she would have done the checks.
"An apartment." Ryssa was keeping her replies to minimum as she wanted this over quickly; she didn't trust herself.
Yan came towards her, arms outstretched.
"I would have helped, you know, but you wouldn't see me."
"There were conditions, if I remember." Replied Ryssa, backing away, to sit unbidden. Her eyes went to the artwork hung on the wall behind the desk; she knew it intimately, it had been her mother's, and her grandmother's before that, so her Mother had said. The artist had been an unknown but in recent years had gained prominence, and his works increased in value.
Yan saw immediately, where her eyes had gone and knew why; she turned to look at it, with pride.
"Do you like it?" Yan tilted her head as she asked the question, knowing full well that it had been a part of Ryssa's childhood; it had hung in the entrance hall to her Mother's Apartment for years. It had been part of everything that had been confiscated by the Republic.
Yan had been rather pleased with that opportunistic part of her plan. The Mother had been a thorn in her side.
"It was a present from the Chancellor."
Ryssa was wishing she had not come now; wishing that she had gone to a lawyer when they married but no instead she had foolishly accepted all the conditions imposed on her. If she hadn't accepted them, they would now be meeting on neutral ground, if at all.
There was no trusting Yan.
Yan always had to win, everything was a game and she had to win, at all costs. She was winning now; at least financially and possibly in other ways. Ryssa had seen the expression on Yan's assistant's face when she entered; the girl obviously knew who she was and the expression on her face was hard, pure hatred, jealousy. So Yan had enamoured someone else, someone who looked very young, malleable and was, it had to be said, a younger, prettier version of herself.
Ryssa shivered.
"So, my dear, where are you working now?"
Something told her that Yan already knew this but she played her game for the present.
"For the Grand Army of the Republic."
Yan, laughed a deep throated laugh that Neryssa had always liked.
"Grand Army of the Republic? A grandiose name for a plastoid army. All those Clones, mere copies."
"They're men." retorted Neryssa
"Men. How unfortunate for you."
She looked down her impossibly straight nose at Ryssa.
"So, my dear, what exactly do you want?"
She scrolled through her datapad.
"A divorce."
"I am afraid I have a very busy schedule today; I know you were promised thirty minutes. Unfortunately I can only spare you a few minutes at best."
She looked at Ryssa expecting an answer.
"I don't care how long, just so long as I get an answer."
Ryssa needed an answer. Yan continued.
"Top of my list is an urgent meeting with the Supreme Chancellor; this war is putting so much pressure on the Sheev, one must do what one can to help him and then immediately after that, a meeting with the Security Council. That one is purely business you understand."
She stared at Ryssa, letting the words sink in again, the words that said she was at the top of her game and was mixing with the most powerful people in the galaxy.
"What a pretty locket you're wearing, but so last season."
Ryssa didn't care, it was one of the few presents A'den had been able to give her. Typical of Yan, to try and distract her.
"The divorce." Neryssa stated.
Yan was silent but stared hard at her; Ryssa returned the stare but felt the colour rise in her neck and face, making her feel very warm and slightly light headed.
"Why now?" She asked. "It's not a problem, if you agree to my conditions."
Always the conditions with Yan.
"Okay."
"You haven't answered why now?" Yan pursued the question.
"I felt it was time."
"The truth Ryssa, my dear. Remember, I always know when you are lying."
"As I said, it's the right time."
"My dear, the truth or I could be very awkward about it." Yan pushed again, any semblance of cooperation leeching out of her voice
You were going to be awkward about it whatever I said, thought Ryssa but played along; A'den wanted this.
"I've met someone I want to be with."
"More than me, my dear?"
"Yes, much more." Replied Ryssa in her hardest voice.
Yan's eyes flickered slightly, and Neryssa knew that comment had hit home.
"And who is this wonderful person then?"
Ryssa hesitated.
"You don't know him."
"A Him, oh my dear, branching out are we?"
"I always did."
Ryssa realised she was being drawn into those mind games again.
"Who. Is. He. Name?"
Ryssa stood her ground.
"Ahhhh," Yan looked as she had suddenly understood something, when in reality she had known for a while, "it's not one of those dreary clones, is it? If you wanted a man you could have done so much better than a mere copy."
"You...you would not understand." Replied Neryssa even more coldly than before, struggling to stop Yan getting to her.
"Oh, my dear, I think I understand extremely well. You have found someone, who you think will make you happy and who you want to be with and who you will do anything to be with. Am I right.?"
She didn't answer but waited for the conditions.
"Am I right?"
Ryssa nodded, she just wanted this over now, as her confidence was evaporating.
"My dear, I have to protect my assets as I have a great many now, so you will make no financial claim on me whatsoever, and … I want to know the full name and designation of the Clone who you think, you are in love with."
"Why?"
"Oh, no particular reason, just one of my little conditions, my dear. But if you don't provide it, there is no divorce."
She heard a small blip in the ear bud she was wearing that was linked to A'den who was down stairs and he could see what was happening via the necklace she wore. It was one of the GAR's best piece of equipment for black ops, almost invisible.
"Tell her." Was all he said.
Neryssa didn't like this at all; she would only want the information to use for something.
"I can't."
"If you want the divorce, you will."
"Tell her." hissed A'den in her ear.
Against her better judgement she gave the information.
"A'den N-12, Sergeant, Advanced Recon Commando."
"Thank you my dear."
Yan picked up her personal data pad, selected her security programme with the body scan that had been taken of Neryssa. She saw the tiny heart beat.
"You shall have your divorce. My lawyer will send the details to you. But first."
Yan produced the scanning machine and they put their hands to the scanner; the initial divorce was set in motion. The secondary divorce would come through in a month and they could each do the second scan separately at a lawyers.
"Does he know?" Yan asked.
Ryssa suddenly felt very warm and dizzy.
"Security does full body scans of everyone who enters; just a precaution you know."
Ryssa didn't answer; damned if she did, damned if she didn't.
"Know what?" A'den's voice demanded in her ear.
"Ah. I see."
She left the opulent offices as fast as she could with Yan's voice ringing in her ears.
"I do hope that you don't regret all this, my dear. Remember, I will always be there for you."
Kriff off. Thought Ryssa and left as quickly as possible.
.
Yan stood at her transparisteel panoramic window and saw her meeting the Clone on the walkway, when they embraced.
"Fools." she muttered to herself, "If they think they can just walk away. Nobody just walks away from Yan Barock, she does the walking, she's in control."
A light blinked on her datapad.
"Good." She said to no one in particular.
She pressed the key to her assistant.
"I don't want to be disturbed for the next thirty minutes. Cancel my next two Appointments and get my skycar ready to go to the Supreme Chancellors Office."
She sat at her desk, eyes closed, rubbing up and down her perfectly sculptured nose, with her forefinger, thinking.
Planning.
Everyone thought the clones were all exactly the same; they were when they were born but as soon as they came out of the vat the environmental effects, changed each one differently and some had been more individualistic than originally anticipated.
That had not been the intention.
They could be a problem.
It was her role to find a way to stop this, discretely.
The tiny red light flickered; she pressed the button to take the call.
The blue Holocom flickered with the image of a dark hooded figure; his face obscured by the large hood hanging down over his eyes, as always.
She had never seen his full face.
"Master. " Yan dropped to her knee, head bowed forward.
This was the only being in the Galaxy that Yan Barock had ever bowed to, and meant it; her slight force sensitivity, combined with her great need to succeed had brought her to his attention some years earlier, and she had profited greatly from their collaboration to date.
"Your work, how is it progressing?"
The hooded figure enquired, with a hint of menace; there was always a hint of menace with him. On more than one occasion she had been on the receiving end of his ire; it was like all the pain you could ever experience, mental and physical all at once and he was not even in the same room as her.
This was a dangerous game.
"Well, my master. It is on target."
"Good. Good. And now for the next step."
.
Coruscant looked a peaceful world, when viewed through the expansive transparisteel windows of the Supreme Chancellors office.
It was anything but and never had been.
The Supreme Chancellor with his careworn, benevolent face sat with his back to that view, his hands steepled in front of him in contemplation.
Darth Sidious immersed himself into the Force; the Dark Side was strong on Coruscant, with the Jedi Temple built upon an archaic Sith Temple.
The fools had thought that would contain the power within it but the right person could unleash that power.
He tapped into it.
He followed some ripples to their conclusion, satisfied with the outcome.
But there was one group.
It was causing further ripples, indeterminate in their outcome.
It was as much in the shadows as he was, with multiple goals, none definitive yet. He couldn't pin them down.
Anger, hate, revenge, love, family, clones, Mandalorians.
It was all there but nothing and no one he could focus on, to remove, permanently.
A broad approach was required.
He sensed his visitors just outside the door; the sickly sweetness of the light side washed over him.
It had no effect.
He pulled himself of the Force, just as the door to his office opened.
"Ah, Master Yoda, Master Windu." he rose from his desk to greet the Jedi. "a pleasure to see you as always."
.
It felt as if it took hours for the elevator to reach the lower floors but in reality it was minutes. People kept calling it. Ryssa expected to be stopped on any floor, by security saying Yan had changed her mind and there would be no divorce. When she reached the bottom of the hyper scraper, with her heart pounding, she walked quickly through the foyer of the building to the entrance and searched frantically along the pavement.
Thank the Force.
He was leaning nonchalantly against the barrier, with his elbows on the railings. He was looking up and she knew where to, then he spotted her and grinned. She rushed to him, finally feeling safe in his arms.
"Well done, Cyar'ika" he whispered, as she looked up at him she whispered back to him.
"Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum." and he tightened his embrace around her.
"Now, what don't I know?"
She had to tell him now; there was no getting out of this but he deserved to be told.
"Please don't be angry."
"Why would I be angry; you're getting the divorce. You'll be free from her."
"You know when we agreed not to have children until after the war. Well there's been a problem with the implant. I'm pregnant."
He looked at her, no expression on his face. She swallowed hard.
"What?"
His mind raced. This had not been in their plans.
"What problem?"
"Can we talk about this at the Apartment."
"No. Now."
"You're angry?"
He stopped thinking about the how and the why, and thought about the actual. A child.
"Den?"
"No." he wasn't angry, amazed, overwhelmed - yes. Angry - no.
"I'm going to be a buir?"
"Yes."
He looked down at her stomach and could see now, in fact he wasn't sure how he had missed it and her breasts.
"The indigestion?"
She nodded.
"Wright gain?" he hadn't mentioned it before, that touchy subject but he quite liked it.
She nodded.
"How far?"
"Eleven weeks."
He let out a long breath.
"Come on, lets get you home."
"Well, I am a little tired." Ryssa admitted
"You need to eat something."
"I'm not hungry."
"You have to have something?"
"I get indigestion, all the time."
"Okay, but let's get you home to rest."
His mind was going through everything, he had read or been flash trained on human pregnancy.
.
He desperately wanted to know all about it, what happened, how?
"Why didn't you tell me before?" There was no malice in his question.
"I didn't know how you would react."
He smiled, he knew he could be difficult.
"Have you been checked."
"Of course, but I could do with an obstetrics droid for later."
"I can sort that."
"How are you feeling?"
"Short of the continuous indigestion, not bad."
"Who checked you?"
"Suu's droid." she handed him the results that they downloaded.
"I'd prefer you to see an organic."
"Okay. I'll need to tell Dr Cahu, so I could ask him."
He nodded.
"Is he reliable?" He'd check on him.
"I think so."
"So the problem with the implant."
"Its all on there."
He put it in his datapad and read it; all the details acquired in seconds. He was silent when he finished; he didn't want to frighten her.
"A mix up at the processing plant; I'll get it checked."
Ryssa slipped her arm through his, and leaned her head on his shoulder, as they sat quietly on the settee.
"We'll be fine." he placed a small kiss on her forehead.
She nodded.
.
He really could not explain these feelings he had, they threatened to overwhelm him on occasion, especially when he heard her actually say those words.
Does everyone feel like this?
He had tried to ask Kal'buir but it had come out all wrong and his brothers weren't any help. Besides that he realised that his father was getting older and he needed someone in his life to look after him, his son's were in a dangerous profession and may mot be around
He could marry Neryssa now but they wouldn't tell anyone, not yet, he wanted to know it was their secret and theirs alone. It was a private Mandalorian vow between the two people concerned and he didn't want his brothers to think he had something they did not, not yet anyway. They would tell them when the time was right; up until then they would just know that she was his girl. He would like to get her some jewelry, he had heard that they exchanged rings on some planets. He liked that idea, identical plain gold rings, he would need to talk to Kal' buir, he had always said there was money for them but he had never needed much, until now. Now he would have a wife, who would be his forever and nobody, nobody could take her away, ever.
And a child.